A Well-Worn Tallis for a New Ceremony

Nurit Stadler (PhD Hebrew University) is a senior lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her book Yeshiva Fundamentalism: Piety, Gender and Resistance in the Ultra-Orthodox World (2008) explored the changes in Haredi male piety within the Israeli ultra-Orthodox community. She lectures on sociological theory, the anthropology of religion, fundamentalism, charismatic groups, and modern forms of worship. Stadler has merited research grants from a number of organizations and is the editor of Eshkolot, a series of books on Israeli society published by Hebrew University.

A Well-Worn Tallis for a New Ceremony is a study of contemporary ultra-Orthodox religiosity in Israel. This book analyzes the ongoing reconstruction of Haredi culture in Israel, a process which has been spurred on by the challenges of modernity, the worldwide resurgence of religion, and the strong sway of Israeliness. Despite its founders' and the present leadership's long-standing eff orts to establish and buttress a community enclave, various modern trends and state institutions, such as secularization, consumerism, feminism, and the military, are having a profound impact on the yeshiva world. In other words, modernity is making inroads into the Jewish state's Haredi "ghetto" and transforming many aspects of everyday life. Over the course of her extended research on this community, Stadler has discerned changes in several key areas, including religious life; the family structure; and the community's interface with government authorities and the rest of the populace. Her book sheds light on all of these developments.